Seattle Weekly

Four of the top 11 highest paid superintendents in Washington are in South King County school districts. The four districts are Renton, Auburn, Kent and Federal Way. Renton Superintendent Damien Pattenaude’s total final salary for the 2025-2026 school year was the highest at $477,693, according to Washington State Fiscal Information (WSFI)’s preliminary report. He was followed by Auburn’s Alan Spicciati at $417,863; Kent’s Israel Vela at $387,275 and Federal Way’s Danielle Pfeiffer at $371,849.

Michael Rucker spent the majority of 2025 working, relentlessly. Now he is a mainstay in the Seattle Mariners bullpen, a team he watched growing up, living out his childhood dream. “It’s been a blessing first and foremost, going up through pro ball it was something people from around the area would say. But it was never in my control until recently,” said Rucker, a 2012 graduate of Auburn Riverside High School, during a July 17 interview at T-Mobile Park.

The new report found steep turnover from staff who feel unprepared and myriad other issues amid a yearslong overpopulation crisis. Nearly half of front-line staff at Washington’s overcrowded juvenile detention facilities leave within a year. Many report feeling unsafe, unprepared and unsupported.

Editor’s note: As in summers past, we’ll be spending time during July and August focusing on the great outdoors: namely, some of the noteworthy campgrounds and trails found in the Evergreen State – and maybe just a few opportunities for a good, long walk. Most of the destinations will be within a reasonable driving distance from our part of the Puget Sound region.

Public Health – Seattle & King County issued the following information July 16 about a national outbreak of Cyclospora, aka explosive diarrhea: A national outbreak of Cyclospora—more commonly known by its main symptom, explosive diarrhea—has cases reported in Michigan, Ohio, New York, and many other states. This appears to be a very large outbreak nationally, but here in King County, we have not seen any unexpected increases in cyclosporiasis (the disease caused by Cyclospora) so far.

Washington voters will get their chance in November to embrace or reject the state’s new income tax on households with earnings greater than a million dollars a year. The Secretary of State’s office certified Initiative 645 on July 15, two weeks after sponsors turned in more than 500,000 signatures on petitions to put the measure on the ballot.

Brent Hall returned to his home turf of Mercer Island to promote the super speedy sport of hydroplane racing at Summer Celebration. On July 11, the former Islander — who currently resides in Bothell — shared his passion for hydroplanes with people as a locally-backed mammoth H1 Unlimited boat was displayed on the street adjacent to Pagliacci Pizza and Mercerdale Park. As a bonus, celebration attendees engaged in a hydroplane racing simulator that was a hit with kids and adults.

The third week of July is when rain may not be enough to keep your perennials and shrubs in good health. Designing a landscape that can survive on rainfall alone is a practical way to cut back on your monthly water bill. In Western Washington we have a flood of interesting trees, shrubs and perennials that do not have drinking problems. Here is some inspiration for an Unthirsty Garden.

When I was a kid in the 1950s, I had an aunt and uncle who got stuck in the past. They were John Birchers who feared that Communists would take over the world. They saw Communists everywhere, especially in the U.S. government. Anyone who expressed opinions that they deemed as liberal were Communists or “Commie pinkos”— not quite Communists, but leaning in that direction.

Washington tribes and environmental organizations sued the federal government Tuesday, arguing that recent changes to Endangered Species Act rules defy scientific research and pave the way for the destruction of important wildlife habitat. The two separate lawsuits, filed in U.S. District Court for Western Washington, challenge the Trump administration’s decision to rescind the legal definition of the word “harm” as used under the Endangered Species Act.